It is terribly uncomfortable to watch a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 hit its hinges and bend backward. But of course such durability testing has to be done for science.
Zach Nelson, who runs the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, has done just that. The YouTuber is known for putting every flagship phone through the stress test, including burning the phone with a lighter, cutting the exterior with a blade, and bending the frame. After literally testing the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, he is now testing the Z Flip 3.
Nelson notes at the beginning that the Z Flip 3's internal display has several warnings for users. These warnings include not pressing too hard on the screen, keeping it away from coins and keys, keeping it away from dust, salt water, and alcohol, and not removing the protective film from the internal display. Of course, Nelson ignored most of these warnings.
Using the Mohs hardness scale of the hardness test, the Z Flip 3's external display begins to scratch at level 6, with deeper scratches at level 7. This is what one would expect from Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus. On the internal display, however, it is a completely different story.
The Z Flip 3's internal display is made of Ultra Thin Glass (UTG). This is a material that by definition must be soft so that the phone can bend properly. The screen is covered by a plastic screen protector. At level 2, grooves begin to show on the screen. This means that pressing hard with a fingernail could mark or scratch the screen.
Using a blade, Nelson could easily scratch the armored aluminum exterior. Nelson then scraped away the purple-colored anodized aluminum like nails on a chalkboard.
Using a lighter, Nelson applied the flame to both the small external display and the bendable internal screen. Surprisingly, both held up surprisingly long before damage appeared. It took about 30 seconds for damage to appear on the internal display. And in fact, the pixels were mostly fine. The plastic screen protector, however, melted under the heat.
In a terrifying bend test, Nelson used this thumb to bend the phone's hinge and attempted to bend it in the opposite direction. To his surprise, he could not snap the phone in half, but it came out slightly deformed. This shows that Samsung did an impressive job of making the Z Flip 3 an elastic device.
The original Galaxy Z Fold had serious problems with dust and Samsung had to tweak the design; with the Z Flip 3, Samsung has largely solved the dust problem. Nelson got dirt on both the front, back, and hinge of the Z Flip 3, but surprisingly, none got into the display itself.
So for those worried about the Z Flip 3 breaking, it is more durable than one might imagine.
Comments